Unfairly, Dexter Gordon is perhaps remembered more for his well-documented drug problems and his starring role in the 1986 film 'ROUND MIDNIGHT (for which he received an Oscar nomination) than for his music. GENERATION, recorded in 1972 towards the end of a self-imposed European exile, shows why this is so unjust. Gordon's playing is simply superb. He blows with bluesy intensity on two very different reinterpretations of Miles Davis' "Milestones," and explores new rhythmic arenas with confidence on an arresting, lengthy version of Thelonious Monk's quirky "We See."

The quintet, featuring the great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, swings effortlessly (for example, on the graceful take of Andre Previn's "Scared To Be Alone" which showcases a clarion Hubbard solo). Gordon's playing reveals both how much his influence went on to effect later tenor masters like Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, and how little of his effortless technique had been lost since his '50s heyday.